In communications systems in corporate networks, it frequently happens that a terminal is temporarily allocated to different users. Contemporary communications systems allow a user call number permanently allocated to the user to be assigned to a terminal located at a new location when a user temporarily changes his/her location so that the user can be reached under his/her usual user call number even at the new location.
When a user changes to a new terminal, however, there is also a requirement that the user be provided with the greatest possible number of previous user settings such as, for example, user-oriented feature activations or settings of his/her user interface at the new terminal without having to perform these settings again. The possibility of a user to swap between different terminals while retaining user-oriented settings as far as possible is frequently called user mobility or xe2x80x9cshared-deskxe2x80x9d mobility.
A relevant method is known from patent specification U.S. Pat. No. 4,899,373, in which user-oriented setting data are saved for retrieval in a central database. The user-oriented setting data can be called up from a multiplicity of terminals so that when a user changes to a new terminal, the setting data allocated to the user in the database can be taken over simply from the new terminal.
In such method, however, retention of a user call number permanently allocated to the user is not provided. If necessary, this would have to be implemented in another manner which would require additional expenditure. Furthermore, the known method is not designed for adequately utilizing the advantages of contemporary communications systems based on a communication network with a multiplicity of network nodes networked together.
It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to specify a method which allows for an inter-node change of a user to another terminal in a communication network while retaining user-oriented settings.
The method according to the present invention is initiated by a user registering by inputting a registration information item at a terminal coupled to a first network node of a communication network. The registration information item can be input, for example, by operating one or more function keys, by inputting an input code provided for this purpose or in the course of a menu-controlled input procedure. After that, an identification information item identifying the user and a second network node of the communication network are read in as further user statement and transmitted to the first network node.
The further user input identifies the second network node as the network node from which user-oriented configuration data for the user are to be called up thereafter. The configuration data to be called up may include, for example setting information for a user-oriented operating interface, user-oriented feature settings and associated feature data.
The second network node can be, for example, a central server responsible for the user or a home network node of the user in which the user-oriented configuration data are, in each case, stored. The identification information to be input can be (preferably) a user call number permanently allocated to the user which identifies both the user and his/her home network node or, respectively, the responsible central server.
Using the identification information input, the first network node determines the second network node to be the network node from which the configuration data are to be called up. The first network node thereupon transmits to the second network node a user identification information item identifying the user (e.g., a user call number input), and an address information item identifying the first network node. The address information and the user identification information are saved by the second network node in order to initiate with their aid a forwarding of connection requests, subsequently arriving at the second network node for the user identified, to the first network node and from there to the terminal.
The user can thus make sure that he/she is available for external connection requests independently of the terminal at which he/she registers, in the same manner; namely, via the second network node identified via the user input.
After having received the address information and the user identification information, the second network node conveys the configuration data allocated to the user identified by the user identification information to the first network node identified by the address information. The first network node thereupon causes a user configuration, specified by the configuration data transmitted, to be set for the user.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, one or more authorization checks can be performed which influence the sequence of the method. Thus, a user authentication information item such as, for example, a so-called PIN number can be read out from the terminal which is transmitted to the second network node and checked there. Furthermore, the first and/or the second network node can check whether the user is authorized to initiate the setting of the user configuration by the first network node. Furthermore, the second network node can check whether a user is authorized at all to initiate a transmission of configuration data from the second network node to the first one. If the result of the check is negative, the method can be aborted in each case. In addition, unsuccessful registration attempts can be continuously logged and/or initiate a possibly temporary locking.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, a signaling connection preferably can be set up via the so-called QSIG signaling protocol according to ETSI Standard for transmitting data between the first network node and the second one.
According to another advantageous embodiment of the present invention, configuration data which were changed after their transmission to the first network node can be transmitted from the first network node to the second one in order to be saved there as an update of the configuration data when the user registered at the terminal signs off. In this manner, changes in the user configuration performed by the user registered at the first terminal or by a system administrator, for example, can be obtained for subsequent registrations of the user at other terminals.
The signing-off of a user can take place in different ways; for example, by the user or a system administrator inputting a signing-off information item, after the occurrence of a malfunction or automatically at a predetermined time or after a predetermined period of time has elapsed. A signing-off information item can be input, for example, by operating one or more function keys, by inputting an input code provided for this purpose or in the course of a menu-controlled input procedure. A user authentication advantageously can be performed for the signing-off.
Additional features and advantages of the present invention are described in, and will be apparent from, the following Detailed Description of the Invention and the Figures.